Algeria Briefly Opens Closed Border to Repatriate 15 Moroccan Migrants

The border crossing between Maghnia in Algeria and Oujda in Morocco was temporarily opened to repatriate these Moroccan migrants, Hassan Ammari, president of the Moroccan Association for Assistance to Vulnerable Emigrants, told EFE, adding that the process of their repatriation has lasted four months due to "technical problems".

Some 89 other Moroccans, including 4 minors, are still awaiting repatriation to Morocco. Some have been staying in reception or detention centers for eight months after serving their sentences for irregular immigration. A "worrying" situation, deplores the activist, who calls on the authorities to invest in the return of these Moroccans.

This is not the first time that Algeria and Morocco have exceptionally opened their borders to repatriate people or bodies. In January, about 38 Moroccan migrants were repatriated to Morocco. Similarly, the body of a Moroccan migrant, who died of natural causes, was repatriated to Morocco in March.

The land border between the two countries has been closed since 1994. Tensions escalated in late August 2021 with Algeria’s unilateral severance of diplomatic relations with Morocco and the closure of its airspace, citing hostile acts by the kingdom’s authorities.